Hummingbird hawk-moth (Macroglossum stellatarum)

      TOWER MUSTARD. Family: Mustard/Cabbage (Brassicaceae, Cruciferae). Genus: Rockcress: Arabis (A. glabra). Height: 2–4 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Dramatic towers of pale creamy-yellow flowers May to July. Long, stem-hugging seedpods. Waxy green foliage. Cultivation: Sun. Dry, well-drained or average soil. Note: Threatened in parts of the Midwest. Nature Note: Mustard family species host many butterflies including the mustard white butterfly (Pieris oleracea), falcate orangetip (Anthocharis midea) (p. 20), Olympia marble (Euchloe olympia), and checkered white (Pontia protodice) (p. 20). Olympia marble and falcate orange tip overwinter in their larval host plants. Small bees, flower flies, and various species of white butterflies (Pieridae) visit for nectar or pollen.

       More Native Alternatives:

      BEARDTONGUE, p. 181; BLUESTAR, p. 74; INDIGO, pp. 111–12 (some species bloom beginning in May); VIRGINIA WATERLEAF, p. 48; WILD GERANIUM, p. 47; WILD LUPINE, p. 37. For summer alternatives to DAME’S ROCKET, see p. 108.

       Nonnative:

      DRAGON ARUM, HIMALAYAN COBRA LILY. Family: Arum (Araceae). Genus: Dracunculus (D. vulgaris). Origin: China, Japan. Height: 3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Exoticlooking flowers resemble calla lilies, native green dragon, and Jack-in-the-pulpit. Heartshaped leaves. Goes dormant in summer. Red-orange berries in fall. Cultivation: Shade. Fertile moist soil.

       Dragon arum (Dracunculus vulgaris)

       Arum Family Native Alternatives:

      JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT. Family: Arum (Araceae). Genus: Arisaema (A. triphyllum). Height: 1–3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Exotic-looking green or purplish, white- or brown-striped foliage. The tiny flowers are enclosed by red-blotched or flecked hoods (spathes) April to July. The three-parted leaves go dormant in summer. Showy red or orange berries in fall. Cultivation: Part sun/shade. Average to wet soil. Nature Note: Fungus gnats pollinate the flowers. Jack-in-the-pulpit is especially attractive as a host plant to the oligolectic thrip. The red berries attract wood thrushes, robins, and other fruit-eating birds. The plant expends so much energy as a female, it changes to a male plant in alternate years.

       Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum)

       Skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus)

      SKUNK CABBAGE. Genus: Symplocarpus (S. foetidus). Height: 1–3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Keeler wrote, “The first flower of our northern spring . . . has no great beauty that one should desire it, but is unusual in form and interesting in character.”⁵⁰ Its many small, inconspicuous greenish-yellow to dull purple flowers are enclosed by a large round green-spotted purple shell-like sheathing (spadix) February to April. If crushed, the large cabbage-like leaves produce an odor reminiscent of skunk. Bright scarlet berries. These plants are “wonderfully architectural,” and their “fragrance is exaggerated.”⁵¹ Cultivation: Sun/light shade. Moist soil. Occur naturally in wet soil. Perfect for low wet spots. Nature Note: Flies mainly pollinate the flowers, including flesh flies (Sarcophagidae), carrion flies (Calliphoridae), and various gnats attracted by the carrion-like appearance and odor of the flowers enhanced by the increased temperature maintained within the spathe during early spring. Skunk cabbage hosts the cattail borer moth (Bellura oblique) and ruby tiger moth (Phragmatobia fuliginosa). Spiders lurk within the spathe feeding on visiting insects. Snapping turtles are one of the few herbivores that eat the foliage. Nonnative Note: Do not confuse native skunk cabbage with Asian skunk cabbage (Lysichiton camtschatcense). Note: See John Josselyn note in the appendix.

       Ruby tiger moth (Phragmatobia fuliginosa)

       Ruby tiger moth caterpillar (Phragmatobia fuliginosa)

      GREEN DRAGON, DRAGON ARUM. Family: Arum (Araceae). Genus: Arisaema (A. dracontium). Height: 1–3 feet. Ornamental Attributes: Looks like nonnative dragon arum. Goes dormant in summer. Showy red berries in fall. Cultivation: Sun/part shade. Average or moist soil. Nature Note: The insects pollinating green dragon flowers are simple flies, particularly fungus gnats. Wood thrushes and other birds eat the red berries. Mammalian herbivores, including white-tailed deer, rarely seek the foliage or corms. Note: See John Josselyn note in the appendix.

       Another Native Alternative:

      MAYAPPLE, MANDRAKE. Family: Barberry (Berberidaceae). Genus: Podophyllum (P. peltatum). Height: 12–18 inches. Ornamental Attributes: A showy white flower “like that of the white lily”⁵² seemingly hides beneath two deeply divided leaves in May. The fruit is round and green. Unusual umbrellalike leaves. Mayapples create long-lasting and lovely woodland scenes. Cultivation: Light shade. Takes sun. Well-drained or average garden soil. Nature Note: The flowers are pollinated by bumblebees and other pollen- or nectar-seeking long-tongued bees. Box turtles eat and distribute the seed. Mammalian herbivores avoid the bitter-tasting foliage.

       Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum)

       Nonnative:

      EUROPEAN PASQUEFLOWER. Family: Buttercup (Ranunculaceae). Genus: Pulsatilla (P. vulgaris). There are cultivars. Origin: Europe. Height: 9–12 inches. Ornamental Attributes: Reddish purple flowers in early spring. Feathery seed heads. Cultivation: Sun. Welldrained soil.

       Native Alternative:

      AMERICAN PASQUEFLOWER, p. 28.

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